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The Portland Kiwanis Club first introduced the Salem Kiwanis Club that officially began with an installation luncheon on September 9, 1921. Kiwanis International had started six years earlier in Detroit in 1915, and the Pacific Northwest District started four years earlier in 1917. After an International Convention in Portland in 1920, the Kiwanians in this area experienced a rapid growth. A national field representative from Chicago installed the first Salem Kiwanis members. In 1921, membership fees were $20 and annual dues were $10.
The club met on Tuesdays at the Marion Hotel from 12:10 to 1:10 p.m. Board meetings were held on the first Wednesday after the Tuesday of the month. The Salem Club had 75 charter members. By the following year there were 87 members, of which 57 were charter members. In the early days many of the club's traditions began. Fining began at the first meeting, with a 10-cent fine for not calling a member by his first name. By 1961, new members were wearing the Mansfield apron that all members were to sign as they introduced themselves. New members gave biographical sketches when their sponsors introduced them.
Throughout the years the club sponsored Key Clubs, raised money for construction projects, and members helped with YMCA, Boy Scouts, Camp Fire and Girl Scout projects. From 1963 through 1972, the club planned and chaperoned all night graduation parties for the high school seniors. The Salem Club began the Educator of the Year Award program in 1986. The projects are endless and many more are listed on our projects page. In 1971, a tragic fire destroyed the Marion Hotel where the club had met since their first meeting in 1921. Many of the club's records were destroyed in that fire. The Black Angus was built at the same location and the club met there up until 2001. Today the club meets at Amador's Restaurant on Tuesdays at noon. Annual dues have risen from the original $10 to $37 in 1971 and are $150 per year today. The Salem Club continues a rich tradition of fellowship, community involvement, and responsibility that is a fine example of the goals of Kiwanis.
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